THE APPALACHIANS: America’s First and Last Frontier
Edited by Mari-Lynn Evans, Robert Santelli and Holly George-Warren.
Random, $29.95 (288p) ISBN 1-4000-6186-5
Some 23 million people live in Appalachia, a region covering 200,000
square miles through 13 states. Congress declared 2002–2003 the “Year of

Appalachia,” highlighted by the Folklore Festival, a two-week
celebration on the Washington, D.C., Mall attended by 1.1 million
visitors. This
anthology is the companion to a two-part PBS documentary (currently
scheduled for air in September). Over 30 contributors cover all aspects
of Appalachian life and culture, from “living-water baptism,” coal
mining, feuds, folktales, Foxfire, moonshiners, mountain music and snake

handlers to the stately grandeur of North Carolina’s Joyce Kilmer
Memorial Forest, a 3,840-acre wilderness. Citing stereotypes and pop
culture
connections (Snuffy Smith, The Andy Griffith Show, The Waltons,
Deliverance), Santelli (The Big Book of the Blues) sets the scene with
an
overview of the real Appalachia’s origins, hardships and triumphs.
Evans, the film’s executive producer, writes that book and film provide
“a
multifaceted glimpse [of] the history of Appalachia: who came to the
land, why they came, what they found, what they did, and why they
stayed.” Former Rolling Stone Press editor George-Warren presents a
“Hillbilly Timeline” from 1900 to 2000. Many of the contributors, among
them scholars, writers and naturalists, offer nostalgic childhood
memories. Sidebar embellishments—quotes, images, lyrics, poems and
excerpts from 19th-century writing—complement the text. Over 180 superb
photos and illustrations include Archie L. Musick’s scratch-board
art, song sheets, engravings and R. Crumb drawings. 16 pages of color
photos not seen by PW. (On sale Apr. 6)